A Comfortable and Colorful Waterfront Wedding in Rhode Island

Alumni weekend can be a lot more than awkward conversations with former classmates — in fact, it's what brought Jill Hoffmeister and Dave DeMello back together. They had been friends and dated briefly while attending Roanoke College, but their dreams sent them to different continents (she to California to become a jewelry designer, he to New Zealand to play soccer) after graduation. A trip back to their alma mater brought them back together for good.

After a stint as a long distance couple, they bought a house together in South Boston. On their first visit to their new home, Dave popped the question — a proposal that was nine years in the making!

Jill and Dave wanted to keep it simple and planned their wedding themselves, with help from the coordinator at their venue, Belle Mer in Newport, RI. Their vision for a beautiful reunion of family and friends came together perfectly and was captured by Erin McGinn. Read on to learn all the details of this beautiful waterfront wedding!

"Even though I design jewelry, I think less is more when it comes to your wedding day," Jill says. She wore a diamond tennis bracelet from her mom and vintage diamond earrings. Jill's dad gave her a pressed penny from Newport, RI as a good luck charm and she wrapped it in the ribbon surrounding her bouquet. But of course, Jill had to create something for their big day. She made her micro-pavé band and Dave's rose gold ring.

Favoring a more personal ceremony, the couple wrote their own vows and were married by a friend they had both known since their college days. "Right after telling Dave he could kiss me, she stopped us and launched into a story about our first kiss!" Jill laughs.

Jill's advice to other couples? "Hire an amazing photographer and videographer. The day was over before I even blinked. It's so nice to look back on things we missed and just relive the day over and over."